


Not Recommended

by Wolfspirited



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Civil War Fix-It, Civil War Team Cap Critical, Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, Healing, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Major Character Injury, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Pepper Potts, Seriously Not Trying To Shit On Any Character, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, recovering, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24850468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfspirited/pseuds/Wolfspirited
Summary: The sound of the machines rang loudly through the quiet room. Glancing back at the monitors and taking in the tube going into his mouth so he could breathe, she took a deep breath, bracing herself.“What happened to him, Rhodey?”OrOf mistakes and consequences
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Comments: 24
Kudos: 177





	Not Recommended

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my second work in this fandom. I don't think I'm ever getting over Civil War and the disservice MCU did to a few characters. This is just a way for me to explore some ideas that had been getting loud in my head. I'm pretty into the whole ethics debate, and I kinda cringe at how CW was done, so... yay for fanfiction, right?  
> I'd like to point out that I've never read any Avengers comics or watched the shows, so this is strictly based on MCU. :) Hope you guys enjoy!

The sound of the machines rang loudly through the quiet room. It was cold, the air conditioning making her shiver even through her brown leather jacket as she stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind her, softly walking up to the man on the bed.

“Intracranial hemorrhage,” came a quiet, familiar voice. “In case you’re wondering.”

She turned around to glance at a very tired Colonel Rhodes. He was sitting on the visitor’s chair, looking older and more exhausted than she’d ever seen him. Then again, maybe losing your legs and your best friend in the same day did that.

“Rhodey. I wasn’t expecting you to be up so soon.”

To her surprise, the man stood up, coming closer to the bed to stand by her side. “Yeah, to be honest, neither was I. But, apparently, Tony found the time and inspiration to build me these prosthesis on his way to visit your boys in the Raft.”

Her eyes softened at hearing that.

“Rogers wrote. Sent him a letter and a burner phone. You know, in case he needs him,” he told her flatly. The acidity which he used to refer to Steve wasn’t lost on her. She guessed they had a _long_ way to go before they were anything resembling a team again. Glancing back at the monitors and taking in the tube going into his mouth so he could _breathe_ , she took a deep breath, bracing herself.

“What happened to him, Rhodey?”

He fussed over the covers, adjusting them needlessly, in what Natasha clearly understood as a need to reassure himself he could provide him with some comfort. “He was found in an abandoned Hydra base in Siberia, next to Steve’s shield, unconscious and freezing.” She snapped her attention back to him, eyes sharp on the older man. “What?!”

“He went to see the guys at the Raft, after the airport clusterfuck, and must have taken a detour from there. Pepper got a warning from Friday, saying she lost contact with him. Vision found him lying unconscious in an abandoned Hydra base in Siberia, next to Steve’s shield and his faceplate. He was lying in the disabled suit, the ARC Reactor had been destroyed by blunt force. Doctors said it probably saved him from frostbite. He's got several broken ribs, on top of intracranial hemorrhage. They put a shunt in his head to drain the excess fluid to his abdomen, to try to lower the pressure inside his _skull_ Nat.” He paused, drawing a calming breath. “He’s in a coma now. They said that if-- _when_ he wakes up, he’ll probably need PT for a while. They can’t say the extent or if there will be any permanent damage for now. Doctors think the cold probably helped save him from further neural damage. He’s had three surgeries so far.”

Natasha’s eyes widened in dismay. It had been three weeks since it all had gone so horribly. Three meager weeks since they had been sitting together on the living room, talking to each other. Not even a month, and the people they used to be to each other seemed so alien now, as if from a different reality entirely.

“That’s aside from the sprained shoulder he had thanks to _Wanda_ throwing cars at him in Leipzig,” he added, clearly livid over the episode. She put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it and eyeing him empathetically. He grimaced, sighing.

“Anyway, how come you’re back? Last I heard, you were on the run from Ross.”

“Tony found proof that Barnes didn’t bomb the UN. He sent it to Ross, and it cleared the accusations against him. When T’Challa found out about it, he stepped in to help my case. Of course, Barnes and Steve are still facing charges for the chaos in Germany, as well as Barnes’ previous missions, but at least his name was cleared from the bombing.”

Rhodey huffed in fond exasperation. Still, she could hear the lump in his throat.

“I’m glad to see you up,” she told him quietly after a while. “Though, maybe you should get some rest, too, you’re still recovering. I can keep an eye on him, for you,” she offered.

To her surprise he shook his head, looking resolute. She blinked, furrowing her brows a little, the only hint to her stinging feelings. “You attacked T’Challa and let Rogers and Barnes walk away, Nat. I’m not making the same mistake of trusting anyone else with my best friend again.”

 _Rogers and Barnes._ She crossed her arms, uncomfortable faced with his resentment. “Steve _wasn’t gonna stop_ ,” she reasoned, not for the first time. Rhodey sighed, “Yeah, I can see that.”

Looking at the unnaturally still form of Tony Stark, her eyes soften. “You know… I told Steve that staying together was more important than how we did it when I went to see him after Peggy Carter’s funeral.”

Rhodey scoffed in humorless laughter, “You’ve always had a soft spot for Rogers.” Somehow, it sounded grudging, but she filed it away for another time. “Back when I was undercover as Natalie, evaluating Tony for Fury, I wrote in my final report about him as potential member of the Avengers: _‘Iron Man – yes; Tony Stark – not recommended’_.”

Rhodey actually looked at her. “Wow, is this you trying to explain things and be sensitive? Because, I gotta tell you, you _suck_ at this.” It was her turn to huff, rolling her eyes fondly, a ghost of a grin making an appearance. “Shut up and let me finish. The thing was, I saw just how much work he was putting into turning his life around, dismantling an empire built on blood and war and starting over with projects that actually made a difference in the world, like clean energy, medical technology, not to mention the charities. Shutting down weapon’s manufacturing without batting an eye, making Pepper CEO and going back to doing what he actually loved and cared about… he was working so hard to become a better man, to make up for his mistakes, clean the red on his ledger, and, the amazing thing was, he was _doing it_. He had a solid relationship, and projects he cared about and would keep on revolutionizing the world, and he had a chance at a life with the people he loved and loved him. He had so much to lose that I would never forgive myself if I let him give up all of that for a life of chaos, and instability, and violence.” During her little speech, she had uncrossed her arms, resting her hands on the railing of the bed. Now, she gently touched his hand, in a careful gesture usually not spent towards that infuriating man. “I wanted him to have what I couldn’t, the same way I wanted Clint to – to enjoy a quiet life with family and people who loved them. I knew if I recommended him to the Avengers, it would consume him, and I wanted him to have so much more…”

Rhodey let out an exhausted sigh. “Yeah… me too.” They watched Tony sleep on in complicit silence. “I’ve been looking out for Tony ever since he was a teenage boy, drunk off his ass in a fraternity party in MIT.” He made a pause, a slight frown on his face. “Did you know Rogers went back for everyone in the Raft?” he began again, with a hardness in his voice that betrayed the casualness. “Maybe he does honor the military code to not leave a man behind. It turns out it’s just that Tony doesn’t deserve the same regard,” he finished, and all casualness is dropped in favor of the raw resentment and anger.

“Rhodey—”

“When you talk to Rogers to find out what happened,” he barrels on, raising his voice just a little over hers, before going back to his prior volume, “make sure he knows to stay out of my face, and most importantly, not to _come near_ Tony again.” The steel in his voice left no room for argument, and, suddenly, she found herself standing near Colonel James Rupert Rhodes of the United States Air Force. She turned her gaze back at Tony, fighting for his life in an ICU, and wonders, not for the first time, how did they end up like this.

**Author's Note:**

> A long way back I was super salty about Natasha... And then, reading a fic (don't remember which at the moment), I finally realised I had got the "not recommended" spiel completely wrong. Watching the scene again, I understood that Fury was telling him that, because he was turning his life around and had so many good things going on, Tony Stark should be spared the danger and commitment, while Iron Man they couldn't afford not to have. So, this is basically me, apologising and doing justice to Natasha about this matter, in my book.
> 
> I really wanted to do a multi-chapter on this, with debate about what happened, like adults should do, eventually leading to Stony and healed relationships. BUT I'm seriously prone to writer block, so. For now, this is a one-chap-wonder. ^^"  
> THANK YOU so much for taking the time to read this, please leave your thoughts on the comments,, I love to read what you thought about it!


End file.
